Atom Egoyan’s Devil‘s Knot premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last month and was promptly picked up by Image Entertainment. While the film has received mixed reviews so far, getting nabbed for release is always a good sign, especially for a director, so now it’s time to look toward what Egoyan has coming up next. We’ve known about Queen Of The Night for a while, but that title is no more, as the film, which Egoyan also wrote, will now be called The Captive.
In addition to that much less interesting title, there’s now a full synopsis for the film and a new image, which you can see above.
Check out the full synopsis below.
MATTHEW is driving his massive logging truck and leaves his precious daughter sleeping as he ducks into roadside washroom. When he returns she is gone.
In the following years, his wife TINA visits the police station where she has formed a relationship with the detective, NICOLE. Each year on CASS’s birthday, NICOLE gives TINA a report on how the search for her missing daughter is going. Lately, the police have identified the girl on the internet, but have had no success in tracking down her physical presence. CASS has aged 8 years since her disappearance. She is being held somewhere, but what is she doing there? The disturbing nature of her “broadcasts” is gradually revealed. Can CASS use these “broadcasts” to her advantage to plan her own escape?
THE CAPTIVE is a drama about how this kidnapping destroys two relationships—that of MATTHEW AND TINA, who blames her husband for all that has happened, as well of that of NICOLE and her co-‐worker JEFFREY. NICOLE AND JEFFREY work intensely with the horrors of internet child abuse crimes from day to day. Surprisingly, they find they have a good relationship despite their horrific work and are attracted to each other. They have a strong connection until the moment when Jeffrey’s obsession with work crosses an ethical line.
Years after the kidnapping, MATTHEW is driving a truckload of nursery trees to a remote destination. On his way, he stops for an overnight stay at a motel. When he wakes the next morning his truck is gone. A single tree is left in its place. In the far distance he sees another stolen tree planted on the side of the road. Approaching it, he sees another and another. The Trees are leading him somewhere. Is this a nightmare, or is he confronting a disturbing dream come true?
The theme of THE CAPTIVE is that great evil will not go unpunished, but the twisting nature of this evil creates an unpredictable and complex story.
That sounds like an interesting story, and the bit about the trees certainly has me intrigued. I’m also very excited to see Ryan Reynolds in this sort of role. I know not everyone is a fan of his, but I’ve always found the criticisms against him a bit unfair. It seems people still view him as either a rom-com lead or a comic book actor. While those are two very different roles, many have trouble taking him seriously in anything in between. He’s got the talent and the range to do much more than those things, so the more serious roles we get to see him in the better.
The Captive also stars Scott Speedman, Mireille Enos, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Durand, Alexia Fast, and Bruce Greenwood. A firm release date has yet to be determined, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this shows up at some of the festivals in early 2014.
What do you think of The Captive? Does that story sound like something you’re interested in? Head on down to the comments section to share your thoughts.